


i’ll run (have a little faith in me)

by hibigfan



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/F, Other pairings to be added, Slow Burn, Zombies Run! Au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2020-04-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:55:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,249
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21616129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hibigfan/pseuds/hibigfan
Summary: when it's the end of the world the decision isn't fight or flight, it's run or die.
Relationships: Jeon Heejin/Kim Hyunjin
Kudos: 27





	1. Jolly Alpha Six Niner

**Author's Note:**

> so this is based on the "zombies, run!" running app and will be updated sporadically since i need to go on runs to listen to the story... it's not going to be exactly the same, but it will basically follow the story line. 
> 
> i think this will be super fun to write so i hope you guys enjoy! (:

_Prologue: Jolly Alpha Six Niner_

“Blockberry Township, Blockberry Township, this is Jolly Alpha Six Niner come in, over.”

There’s a short chuckle before a female responds. “Jolly Alpha Sixty-Nine, I mean, six-nine, this is Blockberry Township. We hear you, er, we read you loud and clear… umm, over?”

“Blockberry Township, Jolly Alpha Six Niner approximately 8 minutes from your station. Do we have a green for landing, over.”

“Jolly Alpha Six Nine, we have visual? Yeah, visual on you and you’re clear for landing, over.”

“Roger that, Blockberry Township. Jolly Alpha Six Nine, out.”

At the end of the exchange, the comms in your headset crackle out, and the pilot turns her head towards you. She says something but you can’t hear over the rotors and noise in the small cabin. You adjust the cranial on your head as you lean as far forward as the seat belt will allow, and ask her to repeat herself.

She looks as though she realizes something and pushes a button on the console above her head. When she speaks again, her voice is much clearer and you realize she’s swapped to the internal comms.

“I asked if this was your first time in a chopper.” You nod your head before you realize that she can’t see you since she looked forward. “First time flying, actually,” you reply and you watch her head bob for a second, the sunlight reflecting off her helmet and visor.

You’ve never flown before, not even before it seemed like the end of the world and the zombie outbreak happened—your dad thought it was too “unsafe” and often made you travel by land or sea. You remember arguing once, just once. You mentioned that he was a former navy pilot, and he just looked at you for a moment before patting your hair and saying, “Honey, there are more planes in the ocean than there are boats in the sky.”

And that was the end of that.

“I haven’t done a PAX transfer-er _passenger_ transfer in ages... especially not to Blockberry.” The pilot clicks her tongue. “You military?”

She’s looking at you now so you shake your head. Then she looks away for a few moments to ensure everything is going alright and that the helicopter is still level and on course. She turns back with a smile on her face.

“Well you’re in for a treat!” she says, just as a ball of fire appears from the trees and heads towards your helo. Your goggles aren’t tinted and the pilot jerks her head forward at the panic she can see in your eyes. There’s no time to pull away, she only _just_ manages to jerk the aircraft to the side so the rocket doesn’t hit the main cabin, but it still hits the tail rotor and causes the chopper to spin out of control.

There’s a barely hidden panic in the pilot’s voice as she says, “brace for impact, we’re going down!”

Numerous alarms are going off in the cockpit, and the pilot flips a few switches before gripping the yoke tightly and focusing her attention back on getting control back of helicopter.

You have just enough sense to check to make sure you’re strapped in tight, then you move to follow the pilot’s instructions. You begin to place your hands on the metal encasing a box of electronics in front of you, but decide against it in case you end up breaking your arms if they’re locked straight out. Instead, you plant your feet, press into your seat back, grip the metal edges of your chair, and hope for the best.

The helo wasn’t too high up so the ground is rapidly approaching, but somehow the pilot gets enough control of the chopper to stop the spinning and direct the craft into some trees instead of a direct impact with the ground. You screw your eyes shut just as you begin to crash through the trees.

Everything is happening so fast, but to you it feels as though time has slowed.

The alarms are screaming, branches are snapping, and you can hear the sound of the rotors hitting the trees and breaking. The helo is shaking uncontrollably, then-

_Nothing. _


	2. The New Runner 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the new runner’s gotta earn their keep

_Chapter One: The New Runner 2_

You come to minutes after the crash, from a small jolt of electricity to the side of your head. You rip the cranial off your head so the malfunctioning earpiece will stop giving you tiny shocks. 

The pilot conducted an emergency landing and crashed amongst the trees; unfortunately, the cockpit smashed against a tree on the way down, and the pilot’s helmet must’ve been come off in the crash.

She looks...

“Jolly Alpha Six Nine, this is Blockberry Township. Do you read me?”

You look for the source of the noise and see the pilot’s fallen helmet. You struggle to twist the seat belt knob to release the straps holding you in, and when you fall into the metal casing in front of you, you realize that the helicopter is about five feet off the ground, angled slightly with the nose pointed down. You carefully maneuver yourself around the pilot and pick up the helmet to remove the ear piece.

“Jolly Alpha Six Nine, this is Blockberry Township. There is a group of 10 zombs west of your position moving towards the crash. I repeat there are zombs headed in your direction. If there is anyone that survived the crash, you need to run.”

You press the button on the ear piece to reply but all that comes out is static.

“Jolly Alpha Six Nine, was that you?” the voice calls into your ear. You push the ear piece and let another wave of static come through.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” A pause. “You’ll need to travel about six miles northeast to reach us—no I can’t ask them to do that...” Another pause.

“Jolly Alpha Six Nine,” the voice is different this time. “This is Dr. Jo Haseul. There is a hospital in the center of the town approximately two miles east of your current location.” You hear the doctor let out a sigh before continuing. “I’m sorry to do this, but everyone in Blockberry earns their keep... so we’re going to need you to go to the third level of the hospital and collect some vital equipment for us.”

You push the talk button on the ear piece and let the crackle of static show that you heard their message. You look around the cockpit and grab a small rucksack with a few emergency supplies before jumping out and sliding down the nose of the copter.

You land with bent knees on a soft patch of grass and take off to the east.

You’re glad that you ran cross country and did hurdles and the steeple chase in track, because running through the forest and jumping over upturned roots and fallen trees is exhausting. You’re not sure how long you’ve been running and there hasn’t been any more communication from Blockberry Township, so you hope you’re going the correct way.

It’s as if they heard your thoughts because the original voice is fading back in prefaced with a small crackle of static.

“Jolly Alpha Six Nine, I can see you coming through the trees.” You look up from the ground and see a few buildings of the small town ahead. You cut toward the opening ahead. “You’re right at the edge of town, but you’re going to want to avoid the main entrance and go in through the side. Yes, right—Doc, that doesn’t look like Lana, does it?”

You come to a jog when you reach the clearing next to the town and look around, trying to see some sort of camera. You give up after a moment and head towards the alley directly in front of you.

“Ahem, Dr. Jo has informed me that you’re not Lana, er- you’re not Jolly Alpha Six Nine, so we’re going to call you Runner 2. We had an old Runner 2, but we sent her to the hospital that—Ow. They deserve to know!”

You ignore the arguing you hear over the net and continue your trek towards what you assume is the hospital by the large red cross on the building. By the time you near the entrance, all chatter has ceased, which leaves the abandoned town eerily quiet. You can’t see the cameras but you can tell you’re being watched, which would normally creep you out, but now somehow makes you feel a little better even though you’re still completely alone.

“Okay good, you’ve made it in.” The one you’ve dubbed as the Original Voice makes a humming sound before continuing. “Alright, Runner 2. Dr. Jo says you’re looking for a briefcase with a combo lock and the letters ‘CDC’ on it- Shit! I can see zombs coming through the back entrance. Go down the hall and make your first left—the stairs will be at the end of the hall to the right.”

You’re quick to follow Original Voice’s instructions and make it to the stairwell in no time at all.

“Wow, you’re fast! Now to the third floor.”

You take the stairs two at a time and you’re breathing pretty heavy by the time you reach the top—stairs have always been your weak point.

“Good, now you’re about to get out of visual range,” you start, thinking that they had cameras everywhere, “But it should be somewhere on this floor. We sent the last Runner 2 to get the gear, but she-she never made it back... I don’t even know what happened to her.” Original Voice trails off somberly and then it’s quiet again. The only sounds coming from the squeak of your sneakers on the dusty linoleum.

“Well,” Original Voice starts off cheerily; it sounds forced. “Let’s hope that you’re successful!”

You see a large, heavy-duty briefcase at the end of the hall and speed up towards it. You crouch next to briefcase and move to wipe some dirt off the cover just as Original Voice begins to yell in your ear.

“Watch out, behind you!” Original Voice must have regained visual of you, because when you turn your head in the direction you came from, you see a small horde of zombies quickly approaching. They’re not running, but they’re much faster than you ever expected, and you can’t help but feel as though Hollywood movies lied to you. You’re stuck in your crouched position, staring at the advancing horde in shock. “What are you doing? RUN!”

You’re shaken out of your stupor and quickly turn to run in the opposite direction of the zombies. You’re thankful that you have _just_ enough sense to pick up the briefcase in your haste to get away. You make it to the end of the hall and bust through the door leading to the stairwell. You leap down them and get halfway to the first floor and see three zombies stumbling up the stairs. You pant heavily as you run up the 15 remaining stairs to the second level and push through the door just as the small horde from above reaches the level a few steps behind you.

It’s worse here. There are zombies everywhere and the one some 6 meters away is wearing a headset. Original Voice must see them too, because there’s an astounded voice in your ear saying, “Runner 2?”

It’s as if those words set everything in motion because the door behind you flies open and the zombies pour through, and then the zombies ahead of you start scrambling. _Rushing_ towards you. All of your exits are blocked and the zombies are closing in.

Time suddenly seems to slow.

You hear cursing in your right ear and zombies groaning in your left.

You look out the window at the forest and the clear skies. It looks perfect and peaceful and completely opposite of what’s going on around you. You take a deep breath and throw the arm holding the briefcase forward.

And then you’re falling.

\--

You’re not sure what you were expecting, but everything kinda hurts.

You had fallen into a huge pile of trash, and while most of it was soft, there were a few hard objects you’re sure are going to leave a bruise. You thank your lucky stars for the extra protection you had on your back from the rucksack you picked up earlier. Things might have turned out a little different had it not softened your fall.

“Runner 2? Runner 2? Oh gawd, we killed them! We can’t ever use this number again it has got to be the most _unlucky_-”

“Heejin, you didn’t do anything. I’ll take the blame for this. It was my fault for-”

You groan and press a finger to the earpiece to stop them from thinking you met your demise from a horde of zombies.

_Crackle. _

“Wait, shh! I think Runner 2 might still be alive.”

You roll yourself off of the trash and rotate your smarting left shoulder. It probably took the brunt of the fall. You look around and see the discarded CDC box a few feet away and move towards it just as a zombie’s head splats onto the sidewalk next to you, dirtying your shoes and the bottom of your pants.

You shake the blood and whatever else that is off your leg and look up from the window you jumped out of. Apparently, this zombie was pretty eager to follow you. A few others try climbing out and meet the same fate at the first one, which turns into a not-so-fun game of dodge the exploding brain matter and zombie guts.

You quickly wipe the small bit of blood that managed to land on your cheek and pick up the CDC case that somehow ended up unscathed.

If only you were that lucky.

“Runner 2, if you’re still alive, let me know.” Original Voice, whose name may or may not be Heejin, is kind of pleading to you and you wonder why she just doesn’t use her cameras again. “Your last location was in a blind spot so we can’t see you.”

_Oh_. You push the ear piece so static goes through.

“Dr. Jo, they’re still alive! See, I told you!”

“Actually, you wanted to retire the number. You said-”

“Doesn’t matter! They’re alive.”

There’s a moment where the Doc and Heejin are silent, and you wonder if something happened, but that thought is shortly lived as Heejin comes back as lively as ever.

“Okay, Runner 2, if you managed to collect the package for Dr. Jo, then you can come on home. Well, I mean it’s not your home yet, but it will be soon cuz you’re our _new _Runner 2.” You think you hear her voice crack and a sniffle come over the comms at the end but it could just be the ear piece malfunctioning a bit, so you ignore it.

You start a light jog around the perimeter of the building until a camera catches sight of you.

“Runner 2!”

You don’t stop running, but you do glance around. You never do find the camera.

“We see you and wait-Doc, is that what you were looking for?”

You hold up the CDC case and move it side to side so wherever the camera is, it can catch a glimpse of the bold lettering on the side.

“Why, yes, it is. Great job, Runner 2! I know that wasn’t easy to get, but it will definitely help us in the future.”

“That’s amazing!” Heejin exclaims.

A bit _too_ loudly.

You press down on the ear piece. Heejin clears her throat.

“Alright, Runner 2, you’re about three miles out from the Township. You’re keeping a really good pace.” A pause. “Looks like there’s a small group of zombs due east, about half a mile from here ambling over at a decent speed.”

You turn your head on the direction you assume is east, as if you can see the zombies. You can’t. Not to mention the fact that you can’t see through trees and there seem to a decent amount in that direction.

“They’ll probably reach here around the same time as you, so we’ll go ahead and send out a distraction team when you’re a bit closer. This way you won’t have to worry about trying to slip passed them.” You nod. They probably can’t see you, but it’s whatever.

You’ve been running for awhile and you’re not sure how much further you still have to go. You’re starting to get tired from holding the rucksack and the large briefcase, but you refuse to put either down. You swap hands holding the briefcase for the umpteenth time.

Then suddenly a loud siren goes off in your ear piece.

“Right, Runner 2, you’re about a mile away.” Original Voice is back. “It’s just on the other side of the hill you’re running up, if you’re wondering why you haven’t seen it yet.” She pauses but you can still hear the siren going off in the background. “Raise the gates,” she says, just as you clear the top of the hill.

You finally see Blockberry Township in all her glory. Honestly, it just looks like a fortified farm with a large bunker in the back. There are a few people running out of a large metal gate and in the direction of some shambling zombies. They must be the distraction.

They have a job, just as you do. You ignore them and pick up the pace to the Township.

As soon as you cross the entrance, the voice in your ear says, “Welcome home, Runner 2,” and you let yourself relax for the first time in what feels like hours. The adrenaline coursing through your veins wears off just as you make eye contact with a woman in a white lab coat and short brown hair near the gate, you assume she must be the doctor.

You try to raise the briefcase in your right arm, but it doesn’t cooperate. Only then you notice the large shard of glass sticking out your bicep, and all at once, your energy leaves you and you collapse at the doctor’s feet.

The grass is soft against your cheek.

You close your eyes.


	3. A Much Needed Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a distraction is needed and of course that means runner 2 gets called

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry this took so long

_ Chapter Two: A Much Needed Distraction _

Hyunjin awoke from a nap by the blaring of the township’s alarm—the siren always sounded when the gates to Blockberry were opened, in order to notify the rest of the residents to be on alert.

Hyunjin waited for it to stop, but was confused when it lasted much longer than she was used to. (Not that she was actually used to it, she had only arrived at Blockberry a few days ago, so who’s to say that it wasn’t actually normal?)

“Runners 2, 6, 9, and 12, report to the gates immediately. We have an emergency!” Well, apparently, whoever was operating one of the comms booths.

Hyunjin picked herself up off the tiny cot she was issued and slipped on her trainers in order to hurry out the door. When she was indoctrinated upon arrival at Blockberry Township, she was given strict instruction to be able to get out the gates within 5 minutes in emergency cases. 

No matter what. 

(“Funny story. Old Runner 5 once showed in a towel and a pair of trainers!” Dr. Jo laughed. “He said he panicked when he heard the alarm in the showers and got some conditioner in his eyes while washing his hair. It took awhile for his eyes to stop burning, so he rushed over right after and only had enough time to put on shoes.”

“What did you do then?” Hyunjin asked with barely hidden mirth.

“We sent him back to change of course! What were we supposed to do? Have him scare the zeds away with his little stick?” 

Hyunjin didn’t bother holding back her laugh that time.)

Luckily, the living quarters Hyunjin stayed in was fairly close to the gate and she didn’t have to travel far. 

She arrived there with a few minutes to spare.

A woman with bright red hair was standing by the gate with a box of equipment by her feet, seemingly unaffected by the alarm blaring above her head. She smiled at Hyunjin when she approached and pulled her closer as soon as she was within reach. Hyunjin was surprised as a bag was strapped to her back and secured with a clip across her chest. 

“Um, thanks?” Hyunjin said after she was finished being man-handled.

“Sorry for the rough treatment,” the woman began. “I just need to get you out there quick.” 

Hyunjin nodded, understanding. She shifted the solid bag on her back so it would be settled comfortably when she ran.

“You have a headset?” 

Hyunjin shook her head. “No, I turned in the one I had after my mission yesterday. It kinda died.”

The girl pursed her lips and reached into the box and pulled out a tablet and an earpiece. She looked at the equipment and typed something into her tablet before handing Hyunjin the earpiece. “Take this and keep it on you at all times. I’ve been told you’re the new Runner 2, so you’re gonna need your own gear.”

Hyunjin nodded and clipped the earpiece to her ear.

“It’s important we keep all this documented so the comms go to the right place. Multiple missions often go out simultaneously, and each Handler needs to know who they’re talking to.” The woman spoke quickly as she typed on her tablet and then looked back up at Hyunjin. “Okay, you’re all set. Now run, Heejin will explain your mission, she’s your Handler.”

“Thanks...” Hyunjin trailed off, after realizing she didn’t know the other woman’s name. 

“I’m Jiwoo.” 

“I’m Hyunjin.”

“And I’m Heejin.” A wave of static and Heejin’s familiar voice filled Hyunjin’s earpiece. “Now, you guys can make introductions later, you need to run!” Hyunjin was startled into action and took off out the gate, with a wave over her shoulder at Jiwoo. 

“Hello to you too.”

“She speaks!” Heejin excitedly clapped. “Good to see you again, Runner 2, and on a fully functioning headset too. Well, not _ see _ but you know what I mean.”

“You heard me earlier-”

“Anyways,” Heejin interrupted. “Important mission for you today. The gates are stuck and we need a distraction, so you’ve been sent out in two pairs-”

“Wait, pairs?” Hyunjin asked, knowing she left the gate alone. Just then there were rapidly approaching footsteps and Hyunjin turned her head towards the newcomer. 

A loud cough filled her comms for a moment, before the person, the woman, apologized. “Sorry, I’m a bit late, Heej. Feelin’ a bit under the weather.” The statement was punctuated by another loud cough, although this time it was more clear and in the open as the woman matched Hyunjin’s pace. 

“As I was saying, in pairs.” Heejin repeated her statement. Hyunjin rolled her eyes. “You’ll be paired with Runner 6 for this distraction. We need to make sure the zombs don’t get too close, so you need to turn on your Beeper.”

“Beeper?”

Runner 6 reached over to press a switch on the bag strapped to Hyunjin’s back and a loud beeping sound filled the air.

“Oh, that’s why it’s called a Beeper.” Hyunjin said.

“It’s not called a Beeper, Heejin just refuses to call things by their proper names. It’s actually called a Noisemaker.” Runner 6 stated before letting out another cough.

“That’s not as fun as Beeper.” Heejin whined.

“Running from zombs isn’t all that fun either, Heejin.”

“Well, when you put it that way…”

“I do.” 

Everyone was quiet for a moment. The only sound being the constant beeping filling the air while the two runners continued their distraction mission.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Heejin asked after Runner 6 coughed again.

“Yes, it’s just a bad cough.”

“Usually it starts that way… you’ll be groaning and shambling next.” Runner 6 tried to scoff but it turned into a cough. “See this is what I mean.”

“If it’s that bad, I’ll just mute, so me and Runner 2 can spend some quality time together.”

“Oh, no you don’t-” Heejin was cut off as the comms were disconnected.

Hyunjin looked over at Runner 6 in confusion. 

“I blocked our comms so we can have a little friendly chat, Runner 2.” Runner 6 paused as if expecting a cough, but continued after a moment. “Not all runners have this ability, only myself as Chief of Runners and Runner 9 as actual Head of Runners.”

“Okay?” Hyunjin was still confused on why the comms needed to be blocked. How were they supposed to know where to go?

“I’ll turn the comms back on in a moment, don’t worry. I just need to figure something out.” Runner 6 began, “Kind of strange how the helo you were on was shot down and you _ happened _ to survive. Sure, you showed up in the right uniform but how do we know you didn’t just steal it?”

“What are you trying to say?” Hyunjin glared. 

“I’m saying that I’m not sure I trust you yet. Duck your head a bit for me.” Hyunjin did and a loud gunshot sounded in her ears. She stumbled in surprise and looked back at Runner 6. “There was a zomb.” Runner 6 shrugged.

“I thought we don’t get guns?” Hyunjin said after giving a wary glance to the pistol in the blonde’s grip. 

(She wasn’t exactly scared that Jungeun had a gun, if anything happened to her, she was pretty sure Heejin would say something. It’s just there were three distinct things she remembered from indoc and the fact that they weren’t given guns was one that especially stood out.)

“We don’t usually, since ammo is so limited, but they’ll give one to each pair on distraction missions. A little protection since we’re risking our lives to lead zombs away from the township.”

Hyunjin nodded. “So, what did you want to ask me?”

“Nothing really, I just find it _ interesting _ that the last time a small settlement got a supply drop from the military base you came from, it came with half the supplies they expected. Then, a few days later, that settlement caught fire and we never heard from them again.”

“That is strange.”

“We can never be too careful, especially since that helo was shot down with a rocket launcher in the wilderness, and none of us were aware that anyone around here had that kind of firepower.”

Hyunjin made no reply, and Runner 6 eyed her for a few seconds before nodding. “Right, good chat. Let’s get Heejin back, shall we?”

Static filled Hyunjin’s earpiece as Runner 6 began to speak. 

“Hey, Heej,” Runner 6 stated, her voice suddenly cheerful. “How is everything?”

“Never, _ ever _ do that again, Runner 6. Do you hear me Runner 6?” Heejin replied. She sounded upset and Hyunjin could tell she was worried. “We don’t give runners that ability for a reason. Especially after Runner-”

“How are the repairs?” Runner 6 interrupted, clearly ignoring Heejin’s frustration.

“See, Jungeun. _ This _ is why we don’t turn off comms. You’ve got zombs coming from the east, west, and… and south. So you need to head north.”

“North? Hmm…” Runner 6, Jungeun, calmly thought for a moment. “Say, Runner 2, you haven’t gotten a chance to see Jinyoung’s Pastures yet, have you?”

“JYP? Jungeun, you’re crazy!”

(Hyunjin would find out later, much later, that this phrase was not an unusual one to be said.)

“Heejin, JYP is to the north and our escape is to the north. It’s a lucky coincidence.”

“Luck?! We don’t know what they’ll do if you lead those zombies to them!”

“What’s wrong with that?” Hyunjin asked. 

“JYP is a fortified keep. It’s basically a fortress and all the people in it are kept under militant rule by Lieutenant Colonel Park. He tricked several survivors into living there since there was a lot of space and the name sounded nice enough, but it was all a lie!”

“Calm down, Heejin.” “So there are no pastures?” Jungeun and Hyunjin spoke at the same time.

Jungeun looked over at Hyunjin and smirked. “There are, but they aren’t really what you’d expect from a place called ‘Jinyoung’s Pastures.’”

“That’s why we call it JYP.” Heejin added. “But seriously, Runner 6, I’m not sure about this.”

“If the Major was here, she’d make a decision. As it is, I’m Chief of Runners and I think this is a great plan. Besides, they have the firepower to deal with the zombs.” Despite Hyunjin not knowing Jungeun and looking straight forward as she ran, she was sure the other woman shrugged, if only by the sheer nonchalance in her voice. 

“I swear, I lose hair whenever I have to deal with you and the rest of your trio.”

Jungeun coughed out a laugh. “I just want to return the favor from when they led that horde towards us last month as they were expanding their walls.” Jungeun looked over at Hyunjin and gave her a sly grin. “Let’s give them a little present, shall we?”

Hyunjin shook her head and sped up to catch Jungeun who had begun to run faster.

\--

_ RATATAT TAT TAT TAT _

Hyunjin jumped at the sound of gunshots coming from the large fortress ahead of her. They were still fairly far away, so the shots weren’t as loud, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t bothered by the fact they were firing towards them.

“_ RUNNERS, STOP! YOU ARE APPROACHING JYP, DO NOT COME ANY CLOSER!” _

“Keep running and turn off the noisemaker.” Jungeun stated. She didn’t even seem phased, she just continued to run towards the large outpost, completely disregarding the bullets pelting the ground around them. 

Hyunjin shook her head in disbelief. Still, she clicked the button on her shoulder to silence the beeping coming from her back and followed the other runner as she ran around the perimeter.

“_ IN THE NAME OF JYP WE COMMAND YOU KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!” _

Hyunjin continued to follow Jungeun’s lead as they directed the small pack of zombies behind them towards the fortress. The undead were easily distracted by the noise coming from there and continued their shambling towards the gunshots. 

Jungeun looked away from the zombies and towards the watchtower on the wall’s corner. She slowed her run before completely turning around to backpedal away from JYP while she flipped off the person pointing a gun in their direction. 

“_ BLOCKBERRY SCUM!” _

Jungeun turned back around and laughed for a few seconds before harsh coughing escaped her. “I’m fine, I’m fine.” She said and waved off Hyunjin’s worried glance.

Hyunjin nodded. Instead she directed a question to her Handler: “How are things at BBT?”

“They’re just fine, Runner 2. The gates have been fixed, you both can come home.”

“Good, because Runner 6 sounds like she could use a break.”

“Hey!” Jungeun called out mid-cough. “I’m fine. I’ll even race you back.”

“I don’t know if you wanna do that, Jungeun.” Heejin interrupted. “Runner 2 might be on Sooyoung’s level.”

“Oh, really?” 

“Yeah, she’s got speed and endurance… and not to mention, you’re pretty sick.”

“I’m fine.” Jungeun made a face. “But we can pass on this race for now.”

“For now?” Hyunjin asked and received a wink in response. 

“Why are you so competitive?” Heejin asked instead. 

“I’m not as bad as Hyejoo.”

“True, she’s-”

“Who is Sooyoung?” Hyunjin interrupted. She thought about waiting for a pause in the conversation, but she also knew that Heejin could talk forever if given the chance.

“She’s Head of Runners!” Heejin said excitedly. Not seeming even remotely upset about the other conversation being derailed. “She’s the fastest runner around and even has amazing stamina. She could probably run forever if she had to.”

“Kinda all of our bosses when the Major isn’t here.”

“Don’t sound so glum. You’re important too, Chief.”

“I hate when you call me that.” 

“No you don’t, you love it.” Heejin teased. “Tell me, Runner 2, is she blushing?”

Hyunjin glanced towards the Chief of Runners but Jungeun was looking steadfastly forward. “I can’t tell, she won’t look at me.” Hyunjin could see a bit of pink on the other woman’s cheeks, but that could be from all the running they’d been doing. 

“Anyways!” Jungeun growled. “We’ll be at Blockberry soon. Let’s not prepare cover fire unless needed, I don’t wanna lure zeds to the township after just leading them away.”

“Got it, Chief!” 

“You saluted, didn’t you.”

“No…”

Jungeun rolled her eyes.

“Sooyoung gave the same order a little while ago. It’s great to see you’re both so in sync, y’know with the Major out and everything.”

“It’s the military mindset.” Jungeun replied after a while.

“You were military?” Hyunjin questioned. She just thought that the other woman had a stick up her ass for the most part, but having prior training could explain some things.

“Yeah, I actually worked with the Major before the outbreak.”

“What were you-” 

“Raise the gates!” Hyunjin was interrupted by Heejin’s command.

Hyunjin heard the alarms in her earpiece but she couldn’t hear them in the distance. That was a good thing, it meant that the sound didn’t travel very far and hopefully wouldn’t lead zombies to the township. She reckoned they were approximately 800 meters away, which made her wonder how she didn’t notice the township earlier until she realized they had been on the other side of a hill.

“Cease the alarm!” Another voice called out. The blaring stopped, which was great because they were still a couple of minutes out. She could just make out a woman with long black hair holding a radio in her hand standing by the gates. “Runners 7 and 8 standby…” Hyunjin could’ve counted to three in her head before the next command was issued. 

“Go!” Just then, a taller blonde with a machete and a shorter person in a hoodie wielding a baseball bat began running out the gates. 

Hyunjin was wondering why they were coming out until she saw what looked like four slow shamblers coming out of the trees by the township. 

“They’re basically the clean up crew.” Jungeun stated, noticing Hyunjin’s confusion. She paused to cough before continuing. “We send them out if there aren’t a lot of zeds out so we don’t waste ammo or make a lot of noise.”

Hyunjin nodded, but she still found it strange that there were only two runners being sent out. “Only them?”

“They specialize in zed extermination.”

“You say that as if you aren’t part of their team, Jungeun.” Heejin piped up before Hyunjin could ask for further clarification. 

“I’m not part of it right now.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Heejin sighed. “Anyways, welcome home.”

Runner 6 coughed in reply.

Hyunjin and Jungeun crossed through the gates and Hyunjin followed Jungeun as she began to walk towards the brunette with the radio.

“Runner 9.” Jungeun saluted, coming to a stop in front of the other woman.

“Chief.” Sooyoung smirked. “Welcome back.”

“You beat me.”

“First out, first in.”

“That’s not how the phrase goes.” Heejin stated. 

“Whatever.” Sooyoung waved her hand as if dismissing Heejin’s response. “Great job today. Heejin told me you led the pack to JYP.” 

“It was our only way out.” Jungeun crossed her arms.

“Sure.” Sooyoung grinned. “Bet it had nothing to do with you getting back at them for having to get put on that run last month.”

Jungeun ducked her head down and Sooyoung laughed. “Don’t act like you wouldn’t have done the same thing!” Jungeun huffed. 

Sooyoung smiled, but didn’t say anything. She turned towards Hyunjin and held out a hand to give a firm shake. “I’m Yves, Head of Runners here at Blockberry.” 

“Hyunjin, um, I’m Runner 2.” 

Sooyoung laughed. “Of course I know who you are, I’d be pretty bad at being in charge if I didn’t.”

Then it was Hyunjin’s turn to blush. “Right.”

“Well, you’re both excused. Thanks for the help today.”

Jungeun snapped to attention and gave a quick salute before stalking off. 

“Is she always that…” Hyunjin trailed off, unsure of what to call Jungeun’s general attitude.

“Intense?”

“Yeah, that.”

“Sometimes. It’s always more severe when the Major is out.”

“Oh, will they be gone long?”

“We’re hoping for her to be back in the next month or so. The business she was called on was a bit sudden, so we don’t have much detail in that regard.”

“So you’re in charge until then?”

“In a sense, but I work with Runner 6 and the different Handlers to make sure things run smoothly-oh,” Sooyoung paused and put a hand to her ear as she received comms Hyunjin couldn't hear. “Sorry, Runner 2. Great meeting you, but I gotta cut this short.” She nodded toward the gates.

“Same, um, good luck.”

Sooyoung waved and jogged back to the gates.

Hyunjin stood in the open pathway leading down the center of the township wondering what she should do since the run had finished, then her stomach growled. She looked at the clock attached to a makeshift light pole to the side of the path she was on and noticed that she had missed lunch and that there were still a few hours until the next scheduled meal hours.

“Well, I’ll talk to you later then, Heejin?”

“Yup, you got a mission tomorrow.”

“Oh… fun.”

  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> welcome runners 6 & 9 (and a hint of 7 & 8).
> 
> also, real truth is i kept starting the wrong chapter soooo this one took a bit to get to. hopefully that means another update soon? but yknow, don’t hold your breath
> 
> hope you enjoyed  
twt: @yvescomepho

**Author's Note:**

> hope the pov doesn't throw you off! not every chapter will be like this, but it just depends on how i feel
> 
> title from the cab's i'll run.


End file.
